


Whatever happens, I'mma stand tall

by AmeliaAndreas3



Series: It's never over; is it? [2]
Category: Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Avoxes (Hunger Games), Avoxes have it rough guys, Backstory, Disability, F/F, I'm in no way romanticizing it but love does evolve from there, Physical Abuse, and its horrible, when Ruby says they're close she means they're dating Lucie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-10
Updated: 2021-01-10
Packaged: 2021-03-15 00:54:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,444
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28679970
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AmeliaAndreas3/pseuds/AmeliaAndreas3
Summary: Ruby Asterion was done with her family's, her district's and the Capitol's bulshit. She was ready to stand with thw resistance, with Thirteen, as they overthrew the Capitol.But it all came crushing down, and she paid a heavy price for her treason.Now an avox, Ruby tries to stay alive in the city of snakes she wanted to get as far away form. A mere slave passed around, robbed of her voice.When Ruby finds herself in Ramona Vitner's care, the fashionista might be a terrible boss, but in hardship there could be light, her mentor said: could there be light in Chloe? A fellow avox who didn't mind taking in the lost new girl fallen from her supposed grace.
Relationships: Original Female Characters/Original Female Characters
Series: It's never over; is it? [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1986949
Comments: 1
Kudos: 1





	Whatever happens, I'mma stand tall

The desert is cold at night, but me and Quartz keep pushing through, if we get to the meeting point at district 3 before dawn, we can board the hovercraft before it takes off and wreck some shit with them. 

I can't wait to see Enyo's face when I reach out for her after we pick up Cecelia the second and Morrigan from the arena and start the actual coup, she'd be so proud.. 

Hopefully the remaining tribute from our district, Gabriel, would be dead already, it's down to him, a woman from Two, and our two sleeper agents. 

I take in the fresh night air, "we gotta press forward!" I tell Quartz, who struggles behind me. I get it, it's hard carrying a stolen rifle and a battle axe on your back, but if I'm carrying the rest of the food and water we managed to grab. 

I do admit, running away from my prissy home after 18 years of suffering and sternness gave me a sense of euphoria, and I felt like chuckling as I spead up the pace. 

"Do you hear that?" Asked Quartz. "Hear what?" I furrow my brows, trying to focus on hearing anything but my heavy breaths and Quartz's occasional groan. 

The sound of an engine. 

Shit, shit! "Faster!" I yell at Quartz. As he catches up to me and I can actually see the patrol hovercraft above us. A spotlight hovers barely on our position, maybe we just need to be a little faster maybe we can lose them by the border. 

But my breath becomes more and nore rigid, my legs grow stiff and I feel like I'm about to vomit. 

We shouldn't have spent this much longer on running, we wouldn't have made up in time anyway! 

Panic starts to build up inside of me: are they gonna kill us? Two shots and we could be doomed. I hear the soft vibration and lockdown of something bellow as the spot closes in on our position. 

"Get down!" I yell at Quartz just as the bullets start firing. I don't check to see if he heard me, I drop down immediately, covering my head with my hands and shutting my eyes tight.

But no pain that indicated me getting shot came, the weapon was dragged back inside into the hovercraft, and was replaced with a claw similar to the one used to pick the dead up from the arena.

There was no way I could fight it as it closed on my body, pushing my limbs together who ached of effort. The bright light of the spot forced me to close my eyes so I won't go blind. 

Inside my head I could hear Enyo's soft commanding voice: _don't let them get to you, don't let them take you._

* * *

I fall in and out of consciousness throughout what I guess was the entire hovercraft ride. When we land on steady ground- the roof of a building- I barely see it all.

But even foggy, I can recognize that this is the Capitol. 

This is the _Capitol_

"What are you gonna do to me?" I don't know if my question was spoken aloud, but I didn't get an answer regardless. 

The two peacekeepers push me further, my hands in lazer handcuffs. 

The officer we went into seemed sterilized and overly white colored: everything, from the walls to the chair in the middle, was the color of hospital white. 

They pushed me forward towards the chair. "Sit" one of them commended. I have no choice but to comply. As soon as I sit, the handcuffs are disarmed, but the chair already has handcuffs of its own that bind me to it. Metal handcuffs "Stay still" one of the peacekeepers lifts my leg just as I try and kick them, they pull my feet to the chair, another set of handcuffs wraps around my legs. 

"It's alright; you can go stand guard" the doctor, that up until now I didn't even realize he's there, signals the peacekeepers to back off. He looks funny: with dark pink hair and blue body glitter covering the edges of his face, his eyes huge and purple and _Unnatural._

I push myself as far away as I can from his grip as he grabs my chin. "Alright.. I understand why not straight up kill her. She's beautiful! I'd love to have her as _my_ avox" 

I yank myself from his grip when I hear that word, that's why they bothered to keep me alive and killed Quartz, they want me to be a voiceless servant like the one the Argent family have in their home. 

I thrash in the chair to no avail, there are peacekeepers outside the door and even if I will get away, what _can_ I do? I don't know my way around here, they could catch up to me in a second. 

With one press of a button, the handcuffs around me tighten, keeping me bound. The doctor pulls out something weird and electronic, that makes a loud humming sound as it spins. I believe I screamed when he got closer to me with that. 

"Don't you use anesthesia before you treat patients? Like, morphling or something?!" I tilt my head to the side as I speak. 

The doctor grabs my chin again: "traitors don't _get_ the better treatment"

* * *

I'm pretty sure I blacked out as soon as the device touched the insides of my mouth. Like my body wished to protect me from the no doubt painful experience.

I was ordered to dress up behind a curtain by the two peacekeepers. The uniform given to me was white and plain, but the task distracted me from the unimaginable pain in my mouth. Even for a bit.

There were short heeled boots as well, since I got used to wearing heels taller than that, my feet did not protest, instead melting into the familiar sensation of heels lifting me from the ground. 

The peacekeepers pull me along with them as we exit the building, there's a car waiting for me and three other avox, the peacekeeper orders me into the car and I take my place in it. I want to ask where the car takes us before I realize I _can't._ All I can do is sit here quietly and wait for the car to start.

 _Don't let them get to you, don't let them get you._ Enyo's soft words echo in my mind. I close my eyes and pray maybe we're driving to the tribute center, maybe she's still there and I can talk to her- in my own way.. 

But the car bolts around the city with no regards to our safty in the back, I try to look out the window but the building we stop in front of is in no way familiar to me. 

The driver opens the door for us and I hurry to get outside and stand up straight. 

The building looks as if it is glowing in the dark and I could see a sign hanging above: _Vitner's fashion agency._

My heart started to race: at least we're chosen to work in a place that respects itself as a fashion institution. I know my fabrics and cosmetics. At least I won't be completely lost on what to do. 

"Are those them? Good, line them up here, I want to see which two to pick" a tall stern woman waited by the steps of the building, wearing an orange skirtsuit. I assumed she can't be the owner with that horrendous fashion sense. She stares the four of us up and down. "You" she points to a dark brown haired guy. "And.." she stares me up and down. "You" she signals me with her finger to follow.

I don't know where the other two will go. 

But I have to focus on the here and now. The woman quickly takes me and the other boy inside the squeaky clean lobby. Apparently this is a modeling agency of some kind? Not the first one I've seen in my life. 

The woman stops in front of a huge room barely lit with florescent light bulbs. "Attention. My name is Holly Vicander, I'm the official assistant and producer to Ramona, there are only three rules: the first, Neither of you approches Ramona unless specifically asked for. Second, no tolerance for tardiness, or any type of messes during your tasks, it'll bring punishments accordingly. And the third: there will be no second chances, you two are lucky to have survived despite your treachery, never forget that-" she got a bit to close to my face, "-we can dispose of you if needed. Understand?" 

Since my hands were free, I could punch her in the face and disarm her of the gun she'll definitely point at me, but the voice of reason, of survival in me- Enyo's voice- told me to shove it down and nod. It was all I could do now. This fact still overwhelmed me, the feeling of words that want to burst away, to swear, to spit in Holly's face. Was only that, a feeling. I could never do any of these things again. 

"You two" Holly signaled two other avoxes to come to her. "Show each of them to a spare bed, use the notepad to communicate and inform them of their schedules for tomorrow" 

And with that, she left. 

The avox assigned to me was a woman- well, more like a girl- around my age, a bit shorter than me, with straight brown hair and huge brown eyes that studied me up and down. The urge to ask her casually "what do you want" burned in me, eventually she grabbed my hand and led me through the maze of field beds towards a table close to a wall, a notebook with a few ripped pages was open there, tons of scribbles and sentences filled the pages. The brunette avox scrolled past those, looking for an empty few pages. 

She eventually finds a few, takes the notebook and a pen and signals me to follow.

We reach what I presume is her bed. Close to the wall as far away from the door, she pats the bed next to it, as if she invited me to sit. Again, the urge to simply _ask_ her wether this can be my bed burned in me, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't let the words out. 

Instead she handed me in the notebook and the pen, with a sentence already scribbled in small messy writing: _I'm Chloe, I'm sure you have a lot of questions._

 _One or two._ I write back. Something that resembles a smile shows on her face as she wrote. _This notebook is just until after I'll teach you our way of communicating._

 _Your way?_ I write back, confused. 

Chloe demonstrates a fast combination of hand motions I recognize as sign language: a distant memory from home: before the academy, before everything, where I'd play with the neighbor's deaf kid on the playground. Too bad I remember nothing from talking with her. 

_Until now, we'll just talk here._ Chloe writes. She looks at me in question, cocking an eyebrow as if she was waiting for me to say- well, write- something. 

Oh _, my name! She wants to know my name._

I write it down with shaking hands, whether Chloe was from the Capitol itself or one of the other districts, everyone knew my last name.

As soon as I write down _Ruby Asterion_ on the notebook, I can already see the shock on her face. A small sigh escapes my lips, _I bet she's preparing to ask me a tons of questions about how I got here._

But Chloe didn't, instead, she moved on to ask me how I felt. 

It felt comforting, crying in the hands of a stranger I barely knew, but in a way, she knew my pain just like every other person in this crowded room: and she didn't mind holding me down until I fell asleep.

* * *

Chloe was the one who helped me through when we watched Elenia Snow's broadcast, when Melanie from district 2 was announced the victor, when all hope for what I became an avox for crumbled and died. 

From there, the next three months were a blur: going unnoticed as the inmfamous Ramona Vitner elevated or shattered dreams of girls and boys my age hoping to succeed in the fashion industry of the Capitol. Cleaning after yet another party of mingling with victors and gamemakers and other officials.

Not once have I looked in the crowds for Enyo, hoping for some courage and maybe a hug. But it seems Enyo was never invited- or, the more horrifying option: she forgot about me, and there was no way she could recognize the loudmouth black sheep of an Asterion she mentored for three years, turned into a silent slave. 

The nights after work were the best. Lying on my side, my face across from Chloe's as she continues to teach me, until our conversations are in full sign language, I tell her about my life up high in the riches of One- and how I left them- she tells me of her life in district 7, where greenery and pines surrounded everything.

Oh, to dance around those tall green trees with her, I find myself dreaming about it a lot. 

One of the uglier nights of the fall, Chloe didn't show up after work ended. I searched for her around the room, asking anyone that was with her on her serving shift for yet another one of Ramona's stupid parties. One of them shakes his head and signs quicky, I barely managed to catch what he said.

_She messed up a tray during the party, you can only pray her punishment would not be severe, girl._

Panic started to bubble in my stomach, my hands were shaking as I signed back to him a simple thank you. I went back to sit on my bed, unable to sleep, I collected my knees to my chest, lowered my head and prayed. 

It must have been hours since everyone were alseep when Someone tapped on my shoulder, When I saw Chloe's familiar big brown eyes I almost cried of relief. _What happened? Did they hurt you? What did they do?!_

Chloe takes my hands in hers as if to cut me off, before signing back: _I'm mostly fine, just a few slaps and bruises, nothing I can't handle._

 _At least let me help._ I demand. _I used to be at the career academy, I had my fair share of cuts and bruises, let me help._

Chloe sighs, and let me lead her to the bathroom stalls and broken sinks in the basement. In the better lights, I can see her face and bare shoulders clearly: her right eye was black and half closed and on her chin was a blue bruise, her shoulders were also black and blue and her hands were red in some places- probably from the cuts of a broken glass she was forced to collect after she dropped it. 

_Which one of Ramona's bullies was it?!_ I wanna yell, I wanna _Know._ So I can know who to punch, whose neck should I snap. 

Instead I help Chloe wash the blood and clean the cuts, there was not a lot I could do about the bruises besides help masking them tomorrow. 

I take Chloe's hands in mine. No words were said but I hope she could see just from the simple gesture how much I cared, how much she meant to me. 

Before I even know what happened, I feel myself being pulled into a kiss, it's confusing and I'm not sure if my eyes are open or closed and I pull away with a gasp, surprised. 

Chloe looks _heartbroken_ as she signs: _oh no I'm so sorry I thought you and I were headed there and I got carried away._

 _Don't be._ I sign back. _I was just shocked, that's all._

Now I was the one who leaned down to kiss her.

* * *

The next Nine months were also bearable because of Chloe. 

Many times have I wished for Ramona's stupid assistant to get rid of me, to put an end to my misery since I couldn't. 

Chloe was always my reminder to stay, hand holding in the dark, beds across from eachother, always looking for the other when working. Her little, almost unnoticeable smile when we work close to eachother. 

Then one morning Holly marched down, released me, Chloe and another two women off their daily schedule and told us to follow her to the workshop.

I've never been inside there, non of us have been there- not even to clean- so instead I grabbed Chloe's hand and squeezed it. _whatever happens, I'm here._

"Ramona is throwing a challenge for four candidates for a prep girl's position on the stylists program" said Holly in her typical voice like a school teacher. Her lousy fire colored wig looking as horrible as it did when she first brought me here. 

"These four young women brought a design. You will be their models, graceful and poised, you will be complicit or face the consequences. Wait for them here" 

She left to deal with the girls and I found a spot near Chloe. _it's exciting, a makeover._ Chloe signs at me.

 _It's not such a hit, take it from a would be model._ I reply. _I bet these four are entitled bitches._

Turns out mine was. The minute she mentioned how lucky I was to receive this opportunity, it took all of my willpower not to flip her over my shoulder, it would be amazing to see her stupid dress get ripped from the impact. 

The girl in charge of Chloe seemed.. decent, or at least nice, she asked for Chloe's name and opinion, and complimented her throughout the whole ordeal. 

When it was time to present, I looked at myself in the mirror: it's been so long since I've dressed like this, since I _looked_ like this. 

It was as underwhelming as I remembered it to be. 

But when Ramona called for Chloe, I couldn't help but gasp: Lucienne La Dumaine completely transformed her into a beautiful ocean queen. The way the body suit hugged and showed off her best bits. If it wasn't for The Drusilla bitch I modeled for, I'd probably continue to stare at her aimlessly and shamelessly, but it was my time to present.

Years of mother molding me into her perfect model and camera training have prepared me for this, even with the white trail behind me, I managed to pull it off flawlessly if I do say so myself. 

The way Chloe- and Lucienne- were looking at me was quite amusing. As I walked past the girl only younger than me with the wig of light pink, I had a feeling this was not the last time I'd hear about Lucienne La Dumaine.

* * *

Having nothing to do after over a year of exhausting work all day was the second best feeling in the world.

The best feeling was having Chloe's head on my chest, the way I could listen to her soft breaths as the morning sun basked us with it's light.

It was 10:30 am, Lucie and the other two members of the prep team were gone, on some business of their own, and Chloe and I were free to do whatever. 

I really didn't know what to do with all that newfound freedom. Just like Lucie didn't know what to do with all that newfound money. It made me chuckle.

As Lucie's guests- her words- we could do whatever around the house, usually working to keep it tidy and clean out of habit. We could go outside if we wanted, dressed in Lucie's fine new designs. People around the city would've never recognized or cared. Only when we spoke.

More accurately, when we didn't. 

That's why we both agreed to stay mostly inside, taking care of the house and teaching Lucie sign language so we don't have to steal her phone every time. 

I look down at Chloe, the sun made parts of her hair look almost golden, which I found beautiful just as I found the decour beautiful. Not even in my original home there were pillows this soft or beds this comfortable. 

I close my eyes and let Chloe's hand slip into mine, taking in the moment. 

_I'm free, at least as free as it gets here in this city of snakes._


End file.
